


Rotation of the travelers

by ConvenientAlias



Category: Perilous Gard - Elizabeth Marie Pope
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 08:22:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18517603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConvenientAlias/pseuds/ConvenientAlias
Summary: The Lady leans back on her heels. “Do you want to rotate out with Gwenhyfara? Go traveling yourself?”Kate blinks, and for once it is not because of the flickering torch light. “Would-would I be allowed?”





	Rotation of the travelers

“You have heard about the rotation of the Travelers,” the Lady says.

Kate has—the stronghold is full of the gossip. Those of the Fair Folk who have been out on the roads as nomads are coming back for a season, and those who have been serving the Lady as attendants will be leaving.

Gwenhyfara, for example, will be leaving.

That will be hard. Kate has started getting to know the Folk here, started to make a few tentative friends. But Gwenhyfara is the only person she has a real bond with—besides the Lady.

The Lady leans back on her heels. “Do you want to rotate out with Gwenhyfara? Go traveling yourself?”

Kate blinks, and for once it is not because of the flickering torch light. “Would-would I be allowed?”

“You are one of us now,” the Lady says calmly. “You wouldn’t run away.”

And she wouldn’t, she really wouldn’t. Once you’ve eaten food at the table of the Fair Folk you can never return—isn’t that the saying? Kate has done a lot more than eat the Fair Folk’s food.

She sometimes remembers the teind tied to the stake, the fire climbing up around him. It was only when the evening was already over that she remembered his name: Christopher Heron. Now the name rises to the surface of her mind now and again, but then it sinks quietly back down again.

“Do you want to rotate out with Gwenhyfara?”

“Whatever milady pleases,” Kate says.

“Or,” the Lady says, “would you rather stay with me?”

For all her practiced self discipline, Kate can feel her cheeks burn. “It would make me happy to stay with you.”

The Lady nods. She draws Kate close and presses on her lips a kiss like a skipping stone. “You will stay for this rotation, then.”

Hard to tell whether the Lady is pleased or not—she seldom gives much of a sign. The kiss could be approval of her choice, but it could just as easily be the Lady simply touching her the same casual way she often does, like stroking a cat. Kate swallows and nods back. The Lady wants her here, or at least will allow her to stay. That is enough to make her heart swell a little.

“Go to Gwenhyfara, then,” the Lady orders, “this will be the end of your lessons with her, so she may have some things to say to you.”

“Yes, milady.”

She hurries off, but gracefully, feet making barely a sound against the cold stone floor.

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes I do a self prompt from a list of prompts. In this case I prompted myself with "I'm fine where I am now", and I was feeling Perilous Gard feels, so here, for all your "Kate never leaves the Fair Folk" needs.  
> ...if anyone has those needs but me lols.  
> Comments are very welcome :)


End file.
